Tears of Stone
by Evil Queen of the Demon Pandas
Summary: Dragons and witches and dreams, oh my! Tidus is gone...so who's this new kid claiming to be the fallen guardian? Old enemies and new friends are popping up everywhere. Time is running out, my pretty, so you'd better run fast.
1. He's Still Gone

**Author's note:** This marks my SECOND posted fanfic! Whoo-hoo! is happy I know I've been really harking on the FFX, but that's just because I've been writing these since…um…2003? Something like that. So more of them are finished than some of my others. This also means, however, that these were written when I was about thirteen. They're not all that great, but I just have this crazy need to get them posted. Once I've got all of these out of my system, I'll probably start on the other ones I've got. Those are better, since I was older. But you probably don't care, do you? I didn't think so. Mostly, just…um…thanks for reading my stuff! I guess I'm technically an authoress now! is even happier

**Disclaimer: **I forgot to add this to my last fanfic, _You Lead, I'll Follow_. So this applies to both of them. I don't own Final Fantasy. I don't own anything except my original characters, who would be Arianna, Lyra, and Darkstar. Oh, and Lyra's boyfriend, who shows up for all of ten seconds. I own them. But other than that, I own nothing. Seriously.

**Chapter One: He's Still Gone**

Yuna stared off into the distance, lost in her thoughts. _I wish Tidus were here. I miss him so much. It's only been a year since he left, but it feels like a century. Ever since Wakka and Lulu got married, it's only gotten worse. I wish I could just find him again._

She was shaken from her trance by a bright voice saying behind her, "Don't look so serious, Yunie."

She turned to see her cousin, Rikku, standing behind her, grinning happily like usual. Yuna smiled a little. "Sorry. It's just been a long week," she explained.

Rikku's smile faded and she sat down next to Yuna. "You miss him, don't you?" she asked quietly.

Yuna nodded. After a moment of silence, Rikku looked back up at her, determined. "He'll come back. I'll make him," she said firmly.

Yuna laughed at the slim girl's stubbornness. Rikku broke into her traditional grin again and stood up, brushing the sand off her shorts. "Besides, he promised, didn't he?" she said, walking back toward the village.

Yuna nodded and stared out to sea once again. She watched the waves smash upon the shore, a few even breaking over her bare feet, darkening the hem of her sapphire blue skirt. Sunlight shot down through the green water, rays of light green among the darker shadows. She watched as a pair of shiny grey dolphins burst through the surface, tiny drops of water spraying everywhere like sunlit diamonds. They leapt through the waves together, chirping and splashing everywhere. Yuna smiled sadly. An aching shudder went through her soul as she remembered Tidus's bright grin, the way he always acted like he knew everything, when in reality he rarely did. She thought about their last moments together, just before he disappeared into the gold clouds below the airship.

She'd been so happy, yet there was sadness fringing her thoughts. Sin was finally gone, but Sir Auron, her faithful guardian, had gone to the Farplane, leaving them one short of their usual seven. She was dancing to send the aeons, to send Auron, to send Sin. Suddenly she saw that Tidus, the man she'd come to love, was glowing a strange, shimmery blue. He looked at her, horror filling his usually cheerful eyes. "No," she whispered, shaking her head.

He blinked and his eyes softened. "Yuna, I have to go," he told her gently. She shook her head again, not allowing herself to believe it. "I'm sorry I couldn't show you Zanarkand," he continued. He glanced around at the others, then met her eyes. "Good-bye." And he took off toward the edge of the airship.

She couldn't stand still any longer. "No!" she cried, running after him. He turned and opened his arms to catch her. But instead of being wrapped in his warm, safe arms, she fell through him, landing hard on the cold, uncaring metal. She laid there, stricken, watching pyreflies drift upwards.

After a moment she stood, and stared out into the golden Sin-cloud. "I love you," she whispered, the first time she'd ever uttered those words to him. She heard him turn, then he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and buried his face in her hair.

But she felt nothing. She couldn't feel his warmth anymore, didn't even feel his breath on her hair. For a long moment they stood there, while she tried to accept it and fight back tears. Then he let go, and walked through her to the edge of the airship again. She watched as he leapt over the edge, and disappeared into the clouds.

She kept a calm, cheerful façade, but inside her heart was breaking. As she watched him disappear, she told herself that she'd find him, no matter what.

A rough sob that tore through her body involuntarily snapped her back to the present. She wiped her eyes and stood up. She took a deep breath and turned to walk back to the village. She stared into the forest one last time, as if willing Tidus to walk out the shadows, grinning brightly and saying something like, "I'm back! Did ya miss me?"

Yuna smiled at little at the thought and continued back to the village. A crowd had gathered in front of the temple.

Rikku was grinning even more fiercely than usual. "Yunie!" she called as she spotted the slender brunette. She ran to her cousin, shouting, "It's for you! They want you, Yunie!"

Yuna raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Me?" she wondered aloud as Rikku grabbed her elbow.

"Duh, silly. You defeated Sin! And for good this time. They think you're the best thing to happen since blitzball!" Rikku explained, giggling. She shoved Yuna up on the platform in front of the temple stairs.

"Rikku!" Yuna hissed.

Her blond cousin just smiled encouragingly and mouthed, "Say something!"

Yuna turned to the expectant crowd. Familiar faces were upturned to her, faces tan and lined with hard work and long hours in the sun. Their eyes held a cautious light and trust for Yuna, making her feel like a travelling summoner again.

"I suppose you've all come to hear me say something about the defeat of Sin, the enemy that has terrorized us for a millennia. But what is more important, I think, is the loved ones we lost in Sin's rampage, the ones who were brutally murdered in our fight against it. Those people, they must be remembered. The dreams. The faces. The laughs." She paused for a moment to regain control of herself, determined not to cry in front of the crowd. They were silent, staring at her with expressions of understanding and pain. She drew in a deep, shuddering lungful of tangy sea air. "The souls we have lost, the dreams we have dreamed: never forget them. For to forget our memories is to lose the most important part of ourselves." She finished with a slight bow and walked off the platform, biting back tears.

Rikku gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand. Yuna nodded her thanks at her and followed Lulu and Wakka back home.

She fell asleep almost instantly, falling into a deep, dark, dreamless blackness. It was almost noon the next day before she awoke to see Lulu and Rikku attempting to sew something. She blinked as the bright midday sun poured in through the doorway.

Rikku noticed Yuna first. "You're awake!" she exclaimed. Yuna nodded and smiled.

Lulu raised one eyebrow. "Another few hours and I would have sworn you'd gotten drunk last night," she said. Yuna laughed and walked outside.

Wakka was arguing with a dark-haired boy she'd seen around a few times. "I don't care!" Wakka shouted.

"I just want to see her, Wakka! Just give me five minutes!" the boy pleaded.

"No!" Wakka was obviously pretty worked up about whatever it was they were arguing about.

Yuna walked up to them. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"He was lookin' for you, Yuna! He wanted to wake you up!" Wakka accused, as if wanting to talk was the worst crime in the world.

"It's okay, Wakka. I'll talk to him," she assured him. The boy was looking at her with an odd expression. Wakka looked at the both of them and stormed off. Yuna turned to the boy, expecting the same kind of congratulatory conversation she'd been through for the past year. The last thing she expected was for him for suddenly take her in a rough embrace. She was too startled to say anything, but just stood there, shocked.

After a moment, he let her go. "You're probably so confused," he laughed, sounding as if he was choking back tears.

She tilted her head to one side and narrowed her eyes at him. "Do I know you?" she asked.

He bit his lip, then grinned. "It's me," he said, sounding excited.

She just stared at him. "And that means…" She let her sentence drift off, waiting for him to finish it.

He took her hands in his and looked her in the eyes. "It's me. Tidus."


	2. The Reunion

Chapter Two: The Reunion (so cliché! )

Her body went limp in shock. He reached out to catch her, keeping her upright.

"No-no, you can't be…no, you're not…" she stammered. She stumbled backwards, jerking away from him. Then the noon sun caught his eyes and they glowed aqua. And she knew. She saw a glimpse of her beloved Tidus in this strange boy, not matter how fleeting. "But, how…?" she gasped.

"I'm not really sure myself. I was walking around the Farplane, and I met this woman. She told me that I still had business to do, and cast this spell on me, and I woke up as this guy! I'm just glad I found you." He stared at her, obviously ecstatic. She pressed herself up against his body, shivers of joy rippling up and down her spine. He held her close, his face buried in her light brown hair. –_He still smells the same: like water and sky and light,–s_he thought.

"I missed you so much," she whispered.

"I missed you, too," he replied. He pulled away a little and took her hand. "C'mon. We've got a lot of time to make up for," he said, smiling. Yuna returned the smile, feeling truly happy for the first time in a year. They walked toward the shore, unaware that Wakka, Lulu, and Rikku were all staring at them from inside the hut.

"Oh, my God," Rikku whispered.

"I can't believe it. She acted as if he had become the love of her life in two seconds!" Lulu hissed.

"Somethin's not right," Wakka said.

Lulu turned to look at him. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"She couldn't gotten over Tidus that fast," Rikku answered for him. He nodded.

"Exactly. I mean, she's been wantin' him ta come back for a year now, ya? She couldn't have forgot about him _that_ easily," he reasoned.

Lulu nodded, then looked back at the retreating couple. "It's just so strange…"

Tidus and Yuna sat on the shore, in the exact spot Yuna had been reminiscing in the day before. She snuggled against him, loving the warmth of his body next to hers again. The setting sun sent rays of red and gold light dancing across the surface of the water, and birds were settling in their nests for the night. She closed her eyes, never wanting the moment to end. Suddenly, she was startled out of her happiness by a loud voice demanding, "What do you think you're _doing_?" She turned. Rikku stood there, arms crossed over her chest and swirled eyes glaring fiercely.

"Rikku, I can explain-" Yuna began, but her cousin cut her off.

"Don't even start with me. I cannot be_lieve_ that Tidus hasn't even been gone a year and already you're snuggling up to some other guy." She threw a withering glance at the dark-haired boy who was Tidus.

"Rikku, you've got the wrong idea-" he tried.

"Where do you come off trying to take advantage of her? What, she's on the rebound so you can just grab her and milk her for all she's worth! I don't think so, buddy boy. I'll wring your neck faster than you can say 'date'," Rikku snarled, turning her rage on Tidus.

"RIKKU!" he bellowed. She shut up for a minute. "_I'm_ Tidus," he told her.

She gaped like a dying fish. "You-you're-what-_huh_!" she spluttered.

He nodded. "I'm not sure how, but I got…reincarnated as this kid," he explained. Yuna nodded, as if to back up his story. Then Tidus's eyes took on a fearful depth. "But you can't tell anyone! If I tell more than seven people, then I go back forever!" he pleaded.

Rikku nodded, pretending to zip her mouth shut. Then she turned and started walking back up the hill. She stopped suddenly and turned. "Can I tell Wakka and Lulu? They'll want to know," she asked.

Tidus bit his lip. "Let me tell them," he said finally. Rikku nodded and continued back over the hill. Yuna smiled at him and tucked herself back into his arms. He hugged her close and she felt the love between them that she'd been missing for so long. She didn't hear the high-pitched giggle from up on the rocks. She didn't notice that they weren't as alone as they seemed.

She fell asleep in his arms, and when she woke up, she was lying on the shore. She stood up and blinked, staring at her surroundings. It wasn't anything like the beach she knew. The waters were choppy and black, and the gulls cawed miserably. A cruel wind blew across the sand, throwing a bit of it into her eyes. She rubbed it out and looked around for Tidus, fearful that she'd lost him again.

"Tidus? Where'd you go? This isn't funny, you know!" she shouted, panic making her words come out harsher than she'd meant.

"I'm right here!" he exclaimed.

She looked around but saw no one. "Please! Come back!" she cried. Tears were choking her.

"Yuna, _I'm right here_!" he insisted. She twisted around, but saw no one.

Suddenly, Seymour Guado, ex-maester of Yevon, walked out of the dense fog that had rolled in. "Hello, Yuna. I've missed you," he said with a horrible grin.

"Get away from me!" she screamed, trying to run but finding that her feet wouldn't obey her. Seymour giggled in that horrifying way he had. He walked steadily closer until he was close enough to wrap his arms around her. "Get off!" she shrieked. She pushed at him, sobbing. "Tidus! Help me!" she shouted, trying frantically to push the Guado away. He held her firmly, refusing to let go.

"Yuna. Wake up! You're dreaming! Yuna, please wake up!" Tidus's worried voice floated to her from the sky.

"I'm dreaming?" she gasped. Seymour suddenly disappeared, along with the fog and the cries of the gulls. Yuna's eyes flew open. She was Tidus leaning over her, a concerned expression on his face. Rikku stood behind him, staring at Yuna. She felt the soft blankets beneath her and realized she was back home. She reached up and wrapped her arms around Tidus. He sat down next to her and held her, like her mother used to when she was very little. When she finally pulled away, she noticed that her cheeks were wet with tears. "What happened?" she asked.

"You fell asleep. I brought you back here, and then you started shouting and pushing at something. I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't," he told her.

She wiped her face. "I'm sorry. I suppose I was dreaming. It was such a terrible dream…" She let her voice drift off, trying not to start crying again. She smiled at her.

Rikku stood, stretched, and hugged her cousin. "It's okay," she assured her, brushing a bit of hair off her face.

Yuna smiled and looked at her hands. She wrapped her arms around her knees and hugged them to her. She looked at what had become her family. She sighed happily. "Dreams are just that: dreams. I'll survive," she said, to restore confidence to herself as much as the rest. Tidus smiled at her.

Suddenly, Wakka and Lulu burst in, Wakka looking fit to bust. "Who're you?" he challenged Tidus. But before he could answer, Wakka just kept going. "I can't believe you'd try to do that to the summoner! She ain't ready for you yet, understand! So just back off!" Then he turned on Yuna. "And you! Tidus ain't been gone a year yet and already you done gone and found you another guy, ya? I don't believe this!" he shouted, waving his arms around and almost knocking over several objects in the process. After Rikku dove after something for the fourth time, she slapped his arm, irritated.

Even Lulu looked angry, which was unusual. "Yuna, if you were over him, why didn't you say so and stop moping around? Why didn't you just tell us instead of sneaking around behind us and getting some other guy?" she demanded.

"You don't understand-" Yuna began.

"Damn straight I don't understand! Just tell us the truth!" Wakka insisted. Silence filled the tiny room.

Yuna took a deep breath. "This _is_ Tidus. He was somehow reincarnated as this boy," she explained.

Wakka's jaw dropped. "No _way!_" he exclaimed.

Yuna nodded.

"She's telling the truth," Rikku piped up.

Lulu still didn't believe them, however. She sat down in front of Tidus and narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. "Maester Seymour. Mean anything to you?" she asked.

Tidus frowned darkly. "Of course. That ugly, two-faced, perverted, murdering-"

Yuna clamped one hand over his mouth before he could go on. "_Thank_ you, Tidus!" she said before he could keep talking around her hand. "See? Why would anyone else think that?" she asked Lulu.

She shrugged, then hit Tidus with another question. "Where did you first meet Auron?"

Tidus thought for a moment. "After my dad left, he came to live with my mom and me. But I know him and my dad were friends before that," he replied.

She nodded slowly, then stood up. "I believe him," she consented.

Rikku jumped up and pumped her fist into the air. "All _right_!" she cheered.

Then Lulu looked at Yuna. "You don't look so good," she said, concerned.

Yuna shook her head. "I'm fine. I just had a bad dream." She waved off the concerns, not wanting anyone's pity.

"Dreams are just somethin' to do while you're sleepin', ya? So don't let it bug ya," Wakka told her.

"Exactly. But dreams, especially nightmares, have a tendency to wear out their welcome. So why don't we all go catch a ferry to Kilika and see what they're doing over there? Maybe we can even get a blitzball game going." Tidus snuck a sly look at Wakka, who grinned.

"Oh, no you don't. I'm not having you get hooked again. You'll just mope around for the next month, and I'll not have it," Lulu said firmly.

"What're we waitin' for? Let's got going!" he said loudly. But after Lulu had walked out, Yuna noticed that Wakka grabbed his blitzball off the shelf and handed it to Tidus. "Just in case," he whispered. Tidus grinned and Yuna smiled to herself. This was certainly going to be an interesting trip.


	3. Kilika

Chapter Three: Kilika (this is **not** as innocent as it sounds)

After they packed, bought tickets, and boarded the ferry, it was already nearing noon. After lunch and the stowing away of bags, they all wandered around the deck, waiting for the Kilika shore to come into view. Tidus and Yuna stood together at the railing, staring out at the ocean and giggling to each other. Of course, they were always together, always making certain of the other's presence, so afraid of losing each other again. Wakka was lying in a chair, snoring heavily. Rikku rolled her eyes.

"I don't see how you sleep at night," she sighed. Lulu just grinned and picked up a pillow. She placed it gently on his face and instantly the noise was toned down considerably. Rikku laughed. Lulu showed a rare grin, Rikku's excitement rubbing off on her. Suddenly, the boat hit the dock and the captain shouted, "ALL OFF!"

Lulu shook Wakka awake and handed the bags to him.

"Why do I have to do it?" he moaned.

"Because I told you to," she informed him, walking right by him. Rikku followed her, laughing and sticking out her tongue at Wakka. He rolled his eyes and followed the two girls. Tidus and Yuna walked off last, hand in hand. As soon as they stepped off, someone cried, "It's the summoner!"

A group of young kids clustered around their feet. "I can't believe it's you, Lady Yuna!" one shouted.

"And it's her _boooyfriiiend_!" one of the girls teased.

Yuna just smiled.

"That's him," she heard someone whisper from beside her. She turned and saw no one there but a little girl with bright red hair, and brushed it off as he own wild imagination.

One of the kids tugged on Tidus's shorts. "Are you _really_ dead?" he asked.

Tidus's eyes went wide. Yuna knelt down next to the kid, trying to control her panic. "Who told you a silly thing like that?" she asked. He pointed at someone who was walking away fast, someone with oddly familiar blue hair. "Oh, my God," she breathed. She stood up. "I'm sorry, but we have to go. Really." She pushed her way through the short crowd, clutching Tidus's hand. "It's Seymour," she murmured to him.

His aqua eyes grew furious and he stood on his toes for a better look at the crowd. "Where!" he hissed. Yuna pointed to a blue head making its way toward the temple. Tidus went barrelling after him, dragging Yuna with him. They passed Wakka, Lulu, and Rikku on the way, shouting, "Follow us!" The five pushed through people, trying to get to the half-Guado they'd already killed **four times**. They reached the temple and Tidus threw open the door. Seymour stood there, smiling annoyingly at them. "Where did you come from!" Tidus demanded.

"I am not alive, and yet not dead. I cannot leave. Remember?" Seymour giggled.

"Don't start with me!" Wakka warned. All his reluctance to hurting a maester had disappeared the second, or third…or fourth…or twentieth time they'd fought Seymour.

"What do you want?" Yuna cried.

"Why, the summoner, of course. For to be linked with the one who defeated Sin is to be loved once again," he said. Then he sighed. "Yevon is slowly dying, along with its maesters. And without that title, I am nothing." He smiled hideously at Yuna. "That's where you come in, my dear. You see, if you are my wife, then I will be restored to my former glory!" he said happily.

"What are you _talking_ about?" Rikku burst.

"I get rid of the boyfriend, then you come running to me. Not willingly, of course, but…whatever it takes," he giggled. Yuna wanted to slap him, but instead squeezed Tidus's hand.

"You plan on getting rid of me by telling people I'm dead? Oh, that's gonna work!" he scoffed.

Seymour raised one eyebrow. "But if I tell, then all of Kilika will know. And you will go away, won't you?" He smiled, obviously feeling as if he finally had the upper hand. Tidus glanced at his fingertips, only to see that they were beginning to fade.

"Oh, my God!" Yuna gasped. Then she turned to Seymour. "I will _never_ marry you! I don't care what you do!" she screamed.

"We won't let her," Lulu said, moving smoothly in front of Yuna to protect her. Wakka and Rikku followed suit, determined looks on their faces.

He sighed and let his head fall into his hand. "Oh, you will care. Because I am the only one who can produce a mind wipe large enough to affect the city. And if you do not agree, you may find that I will not be so ready to do as you ask," he told them, lifting his head and examining his fingernails casually.

In a sudden swirl of pyreflies, an old woman appeared in front of them. "Tidus, you blond fool! I told you if you told more than seven people my magic would wear off!" she screeched.

Tidus nodded. "But I didn't-" he started.

"Uh-uh! I don't want to hear it! You've got one week to mind wipe all those people, or it's back in the box for you, Pandora!" And with that, she disappeared, leaving only the faint smell of overcooked cabbage and cats.

Yuna stared at Tidus. "You're going to leave me again?" she cried. She didn't think she could take that.

"No. We'll find a way around it," he soothed her, hugging her close. Seymour was now very interested in the hem of his blue robes. Tidus glared at him.

He looked up at the group and grinned. "Here are my terms. Yuna marries me, you little oddities go back to wherever it is you came from, and the boyfriend lives on. But you'll never see him again, so it won't really matter," he said happily.

"Never," Yuna whispered.

Seymour shrugged. "Suit yourself." He spun and walked up the steps, humming to himself.

Yuna looked at Tidus, silently begging him to tell her it would be all right, like he always did. He just smiled at her, but his eyes betrayed his feelings. She laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes, feeling the tears brimming to the surface. Wakka and Lulu stayed quiet, not being able to think of anything to say. When Yuna finally pulled away from Tidus, Rikku hugged her cousin tightly.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Yunie!" she cried.

Yuna nodded and took Tidus's hand. She wiped her eyes with her free hand and smiled at her friends. "Well, we might as well make the best of it," she said resolutely.

And with that sentence, her friends knew she had given up all hope. Painfully and slowly, in a effort to ease as much of the hurt as possible, she gave up all the dreams that had been rekindled when Tidus reappeared: the big wedding surrounded by her friends, the house in Besaid, the walks on the beach with her husband, a lifetime of happiness. All gone with one little sentence from Seymour. She retreated within herself, trying to hide from all the pain love brought to her. She looked up at her friends, but she wasn't there anymore. The Yuna they knew was gone.

Tidus led her into the crowded streets of Kilika, but she didn't feel the people pushing past her or Tidus's firm grip on her hand. –_This is interesting_,– she thought, with mild curiosity. It was like watching a movie about some other girl's miserable life. She didn't feel the pain that still lingered in her soul from her father's death, nor the loss of her beloved Tidus. She felt…nothing. An empty hole where her feelings used to be.

The rest of the day passed in the same fashion. They checked into a hotel, people crowded around her, desperate to hear her tale again. And she told it, exactly like she had dozens of times to hundreds of people. But she was not speaking the words. The unknown force that took over her body was controlling her mouth, making her speak. She just watched, looked into the eager faces of the young bare-footed children. But their delighted smiles did not make her smile back, as they normally did. They didn't affect her at all.

Nothing did.

Tidus led her up to their room and turned to her. He said something, but Yuna didn't comprehend. Part of her wanted to know, but the rest of her cowered away in fear of what those words would bring. It wasn't until she saw Tidus reaching out for her did she realize that she had actually physically shrunken away from Tidus, as if he was about to hit her. He stared into her eyes and took her by the shoulders. He was shouting at her, his fingers digging into her flesh. –_Ow! That hurts!...I think_,–she thought.

"Yuna! Wake up!" she heard Tidus bellow. The first sounds she'd heard, really heard, all day. In her world, tucked away inside her own soul, sound meant nothing. Wakka, Rikku, and Lulu walked in to see what the shouting was about. Yuna sat down on the bed and peered at them. Tidus was talking to them, gesturing at Yuna.

She smiled a little, not understanding. –_They're talking about me. They're worried about me! I've got to say something, tell them I'm all right_,–she thought, suddenly concerned. But she could not make her lips open, could not force her mouth to say the words that ached to come out. She was starting to get frustrated with herself. She sat back and contemplated. –_I know my eyes are working. I can see things. And I suppose my brain is working again, because I can think. But why can't I make anything else work?–_She was mentally banging her fists against her skull, her consciousness trying to get out again. –_I didn't know going back out again would be so hard! Retreat was so easy. Why is it so difficult the other way around?_– She stared at her own hands, willing for her fingers to twitch, to show that she was still in control of her body. Nothing happened.

_It is because you have left that behind,_ a familiar voice said inside her head.

–_Dad?_–she cried mentally.

_Yes. We don't have much time. They're talking about taking you to the local witch doctor, and that would only make things worse, _Braska told her. She nodded mentally and waited for instructions from her adored father. _You have abandoned your feelings, because they hurt you too much. With that, you have surrendered control of your body. To regain this control, you must embrace your feelings with all your soul,_ he ordered her, gently but firmly.

–_I can't. It hurts so much… –_She didn't want the pain to come back.

_Yuna! Now!_ Braska insisted.

She hesitated, then dove into her memories, trying to feel the emotions attached with each. The moment she realized her father wasn't coming back, when Kimahri had come to take her to Besaid. When Wakka and Lulu forbade her to become and summoner, and she did anyway. When Tidus first showed up in Besaid, lost and confused. When she'd mentally taken him into her care, then when he'd surprised her and ended up guarding her when she thought she would be mothering him! When she'd defeated Sin, the triumph that she'd conquered the enemy of Spira. When Tidus had left her standing in front of the forest, crying into the wind. When she'd been reunited with him, when he'd come back to her, sitting there on the beach and falling asleep in his arms again. When Seymour told her Tidus was going to disappear, then the moment when she'd let her dreams go.

She suddenly burst into tears. Sound exploded in her ears, from Tidus, Rikku, Wakka, and Lulu's loud talking to the squeak of the dessert cart outside the door to the music someone in another room was playing.

Tidus spun. "Yuna!" he exclaimed.

He sat down next to her and she sobbed into his shoulder, crying as she'd never let herself cry before. She cried for the loss of her parents, she cried from the stress of the pilgrimage and all the aftermath of Sin's vanquishing, she cried for the loss of Tidus twice over, then she just cried because she was crying. When the sobs finally stopped, she wiped her eyes and sniffed, her head throbbing painfully.

Rikku sat down next to her and smiled sympathetically. "You okay?" she asked.

Yuna nodded, then looked at her friends. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me…" she began.

"No need to apologize. It's all right," Lulu interrupted.

Yuna nodded again, then stood up. "Anyone hungry?" she asked.

The others glanced at each other then, realizing that the plan was to pretend like nothing happened, nodded. They walked out of the room, rode the elevator down, and were just about to exit the hotel when a girl in green robes came running up. Yuna recognized her as Shelinda, a young priestess who had been made captain of the guard last year. She ran up to them, gasping and clutching the stitch in her side. Tidus rolled his eyes and Yuna poked him a little with her elbow.

"My Lady Summoner!" Shelinda panted. Yuna smiled. Shelinda gave her the Yevon prayer and Yuna returned it, wondering exactly where Shelinda was going with this. "Lady Yuna, there is trouble on the shore! You must come quickly!" Shelinda begged. Yuna frowned and nodded. They followed Shelinda to the coast of Kilika. Yuna gasped when she saw what was waiting.

An enormous serpent-like creature, its scaly tails curled under it in the water, sat there, peacefully blinking its sea green eyes at the crowd on the beach. When it saw Yuna, it lifted its head slightly and its eyes seemed to waver between blue and green for a moment.

"What is it?" Yuna asked Shelinda.

"No one knows! Most think it is a leftover aeon!" she explained.

Yuna nodded and surveyed the creature. It was as long as Sin had been, but much prettier. Its diamond-hard scales were sapphire blue, shining iridescent in the setting sun. It had a row of translucent green spikes running down its back and two diamond horns on its head. It lowered its head until it was staring Yuna full in the face, its bright green eyes intelligent and, oddly enough, not particularly angry. For some reason, Yuna found herself bowing to this immense creature.

It bowed its head in return, taking care not to hit anyone. "High Summoner?" the creature asked. Yuna nodded. "I've been looking all over for you!" the creature exclaimed, sounding amazingly like a teenage girl. "My name's Arianna and I've been trying to find you for _ever_! You know, for a famous chick, you're awfully hard to track down," she continued. Then she paused. "Of course, it doesn't help when everyone you see runs away before you can ask them a question." She laughed a little, showing long white fangs. Tidus was gaping at Arianna, unable to pull together the mental capacity to for an entire sentence, much less a word. "Oh, don't look so _horrified_, Tidus. I won't eat you, I promise," the creature chided. Tidus just opened and closed his mouth like a dying goldfish.

"Do you know him?" Yuna asked.

Arianna nodded slowly, trying not to whack her head against anything.

"He's my brother."


	4. The Story

Chapter Four: The Story

"WHAAAAAA!" Wakka yelled, stumbling backwards a bit.

Arianna snaked her head down to look at him. He scrambled backwards, trying to get away from the enormous dragon. She scrutinized him, looking him over. "Hmmm. You must be Wakka," she said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement. She obviously knew who she was talking about. He nodded slowly, his brown eyes huge. "Captain of the Besaid Aurochs! Congrats on winning the cup this year!" she cheered. He grinned proudly.

Tidus poked her. "I helped!" he insisted.

She snapped at him and he yelped, jumping backwards. She laughed, throwing her magnificent head back to reveal ivory belly scales. Then she looked at Yuna again, suddenly serious. "I need you to help me," she asked.

Yuna stared at her, taken aback by the idea that this huge sea dragon needed _her_ help. "Wha-what do you need?" she stammered.

"I need you to change me back," Arianna pleaded, her large jade eyes desperate. Yuna couldn't answer, just stood there in stunned shock.

"What happened?" Tidus asked, sitting down on the dock. Arianna pushed herself out to sea a bit with her front feet, ivory claws gleaming. She settled back down in the sand and began her tale.

"See, it all started when you turned up missing while that giant thingie attacked Zanarkand. So I swam out of the sphere pool and ran for the locker room, figuring that you'd head there. But you weren't there, and no one had seen you, so I started looking for you. But I couldn't find you _or_ Auron so I started going out towards the bridge. I was just about there when I saw that big tendril thing hit the bridge, and so I headed there, thinking that maybe at least Auron would be there. Except when I got there, the thingie was gone and so was everyone else. Then I saw the big thing hovering up above that little bit of platform and then I saw you and I jumped over right after Auron pulled you up, then that thing sucked you two up, and I jumped in after you. And I landed in some ocean somewhere, and I swam to the surface. It didn't hit me then what had happened exactly, until I started to check for broken bones and realized I had four fingers. Or claws, to be more exact." She looked disdainfully at the long ivory claws and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "So I spent about half an hour trying to figure out to go forward, then once I figured that out, I swam north. I reckon all that time in the forest on the edge of town actually had its benefits. Anyway, I crawled up on a beach and stretched out, trying to figure out what had happened and where you were. I couldn't sense you anywhere-"

Lulu interrupted her. "Wait. _Sense_? What does that mean?"

Arianna blinked at her for a moment, then explained, "See, when I was real little this crazy old lady gave me all these powers, and one of them is being able to sense people. Mostly I can just do Tidus and sometimes Mom or Dad. And I can levitate, and blow up things, and throw things with my mind, and I can feel other peoples' feelings and hear their thoughts. It's pretty cool."

Lulu nodded slowly, trying to process all that.

"Go on," Yuna urged.

Arianna carried on. "So after a bit I think I fell asleep, and when I woke up I was hungry. I ate _seven freakin' fish_. Big ones, too. Not just little minnow things; I'm talking suckers that were _Auron_-sized. Do you know how long it takes to fill up a dragon's stomach? I felt like a pig." She drew up her lips, showing her distaste alone with all her teeth. Tidus rolled his eyes and she continued, glared at him. "So after I ate I swam around a bit, trying to find someone to talk to. I finally got this one little kid to tell me where I was, before her mom had a cow and grabbed her away. I was in someplace called the Moonflow, and the summoner was coming. So I laid there for a long while, watching the elephant things go back and forth across the river. I was trying to find that summoner person, thinking he or she could help me. A bunch of those Hypello things came up and threw fish and stuff in the water for me to eat, which was pretty cool. Well, nothing happened and nothing happened so I decided to go investigate the ruins underneath me. So I was poking around down there when there was a bunch of lights and stuff and I thought I saw you but I couldn't be sure. So I laid down there in the ruins, then I followed you out across the Moonflow and basically I've been trailing you ever since. Well, until that big flying thing attacked and all the water was stuck in those curve things, then I stuck my head out for about two seconds and decided to go back in the other direction before it attacked me, too. _Then_ I figured out that the flyer thing was called Sin and that it was actually Dad but there was this guy inside controlling him, so I figured I should come help, but by the time I got there, everyone had left again! So I've spent the past year trying to track down the summoner, since I heard she had defeated the Sin thing and figured she could change me back or send me back or whatever." She looked at Yuna imploringly.

Yuna bit her lip, thinking.

"You can leave her like that if you want. She looks better that way, anyway," Tidus assured her.

Arianna snapped at her brother. "You know, I'm still older than you!" she reminded him angrily.

He rolled his eyes and Yuna laughed. He looked at her with big puppy-dog eyes. "You're supposed to be on _my_ side!" he pouted.

"Girls stick together," Arianna told him. He glared at her and she smiled at Yuna, as if her brother was a small child and she and Yuna were his baby-sitters. Then she sighed. "I was kinda hoping you knew of a way to change me back. This body is okay, but I like mine better," she told Yuna. Yuna nodded and hugged her knees to her, thinking.

"Magic would probably have to do it," Lulu said.

Yuna nodded slowly. "If we could find your body, I bet the witch over in Bevelle could switch you back," she thought aloud.

"Oh! I know where my body is. It was floating next to me when I got dumped after Sin attacked me, and I almost ate it." Her scales glowed silver and Yuna realized she was blushing. She reached out and grabbed something off the cliff, holding it very gently between her sword-sharp teeth. She set it down carefully on the sand and Yuna bent down to inspect it.

She looked a bit like Tidus, except instead of short, spiky blond hair, hers was waist-length auburn. Her eyes were the same aqua blue, but she was probably close to a foot taller than her brother when they stood back to back. Arianna stared at her own body, lying there on the wet sand, waves breaking over her hair, and sighed deeply. Wakka picked up the body and carried it back toward Kilika.

They all trooped back to the airship, except Arianna who swam along the coast.

"We're headed for Bevelle, Pops!" Rikku shouted.

"_E dnyoknd oui tutr'd cugi _Bevelle," Brother grunted from under a complicated mess of wires.

"_E tyr'd. Ed'c vuh y… vhuirt_," she answered, glancing at where Arianna was splashing around in the harbour next to the ship.

Brother sighed dramatically and slid out from under the keyboard. He walked over to the cockpit and fiddled with a few buttons. A loud whirr followed and they took off, Arianna swimming underneath them. Yuna curled up on a seat, like the others, and fell asleep. They flew to Bevelle and within hours had landed on the large field just outside town.

They marched into the bustling city, Wakka still carrying Arianna's limp body over his shoulder. Dragon Arianna climbed up on the land, where she proved to be much slower than in the water. When they finally lumbered into town, Arianna hung back.

"What's wrong?" Rikku asked.

"I-I can't. I'll scare everyone, and then they'll run away again," she stammered, taking a few steps back from the iron gates.

Yuna nodded. "It's okay. You stay here. Rikku will stay with you," she assured her, with a glance at her Al Bhed cousin.

The tiny blond nodded and sat down on a rock. She stretched out and sighed, basking in the early morning sun. "I need to work on my tan anyway," she said, closing her eyes. Yuna smiled her thanks and they walked into the crowded streets.

They drew stares from nearly everyone. Yuna knew they were concerned about the fact that Wakka was carrying what appeared to be a dead body slung over his shoulder, but she shrugged it off. She was determined to help Arianna, mostly because it kept her mind off the inevitable loss that part of her was braced for. Lulu suddenly turned sharply to the left and entered a small shop where two round, wrought iron tables sat outside. Two dark green umbrellas shaded the matching chairs that were slid under the tables. Lulu opened the oak door and led the other three inside. The interior was dark and small, but in a cosy, tiny-library-in-the-corner kind of way. Several squishy armchairs were circled around a fireplace in the corner, and a big librarian's desk was set up at the back. Papers were scattered across it, and a black cat was curled up on top of them.

"Lyra? Lyra, where are you?" Lulu called.

"Coming! Just wait five seconds!" a girl's voice replied from a dark corner. A fifteen-year-old straightened up, turned around, and dusted off her hands on her denim shorts. She ran her fingers through her wild red ringlets and blinked at the four.

Or, technically, five, if you counted Arianna's body.

"Well. That's not normal," she said in surprise.

"Lyra, this girl's been taken out of her body and put in the body of a sea dragon," Lulu explained.

Lyra nodded and prodded Arianna's knee. Nothing happened. "No reflexes. Good. She hasn't been possessed yet," she said. She wiped a bit of dust off her black tank top and walked over to her desk. She picked up the cat and hugged him against her chest. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but you have to move," she apologized. She kissed the top of the cat's head and placed him on an end table, on top of a stack of books. She sat in the chair in front of the desk and picked up a paper. "Right. Body switching potion, along with a spell…" she muttered to herself. She grabbed a small black kettle and set it down on a stove against one wall. She poured a bit of water in it and turned it on. She picked up another pot and set milk going.

"What's that one for?" Lulu asked.

"One's for tea. The milk is for the potion," Lyra explained, throwing a few herbs in the milk. She casually tossed two tea bags in the now boiling water and cut it off, leaving it to seep for a few minutes. She tossed another few herbs in the milk and let it boil, setting the lid on it gently. She sat down in an armchair and gestured for the others to do the same. The cat jumped into Yuna's lap instantly and curled up, purring contentedly. "She must be something special, Darkstar. I've never seen you get so touchy-feely that fast," Lyra said to the cat, raising her eyebrows in mild interest. The cat didn't look at her, as if he was purposefully ignoring her. He pushed his head under Yuna's hand to be petted and she obliged, smiling as the regal creature let down his guard. Lyra crossed her legs and set her elbows on her knees, head in hands, and peered at Arianna's body, which Wakka had unceremoniously stretched on the floor in the circle of chairs. Lyra glanced at Darkstar, then at the fireplace. The cat sighed (sort of) and stared at the empty grate for a moment. Instantly, a fire began burning merrily where not two seconds before burnt charcoal had been all to be seen. Lyra smiled her thanks at the cat and he closed his eyes again, settling down for a rest. The young mage looked at the three sitting across from her, her brown eyes sparkling like dark diamonds. "So, Lu. Whatcha been up to?" she asked the older woman.

Lulu blushed a little and told the girl, "I got married."

Lyra grinned. "That's great! I told you you'd find someone one day," she congratulated. Then she looked at Yuna. "The High Summoner, right? I don't pay that much attention to that sort of thing myself, but Darkstar here likes to keep a running check of the outside world." She nodded at the sleeping cat on Yuna's lap, who was at present snoring gently in a way that reminded Yuna heavily of Tidus.

"What do you mean, 'the outside world'?" Tidus asked.

Lyra sighed. "I keep to myself, mostly. And there's so many spells on this place, modern and ancient, that just about anything that happens won't hurt it," she explained, a thoughtful look on her face. "Though I can't say I haven't _tried_. It just refuses to allow itself to be hurt in any way," she confessed. Yuna almost asked what she was talking about when she said "tried", but she decided it was best to stay quiet.

Lulu, however, had no such restrictions. She rolled her eyes. "Lyra, _honestly_. You used to get on _me_ because I was anti-social. Look at you! You stay here all the time with your cat and your books. You need to get out more," she scolded.

Lyra stuck out her tongue at the mage and looked over at her desk. "I have friends! See?" she protested. A thick, leather-bound book floated over to her waiting hand from underneath the clutter. Yuna noticed that its pages were yellowed and cracked with age, but, with a glance around the room, she saw that just about _every_ book was like that. Lyra flipped through it to a page at the back. "Be a dear and contact Skye for me, will you?" she asked the book politely. Its pages glowed and a voice suddenly spoke out of it, much to Yuna's surprise.

"What is it?" the voice asked.

"It's me," Lyra replied.

"Oh! Lyra, how you been? I haven't heard from you in a long time! It's been almost two days!" the voice exclaimed, sounding highly annoyed.

Lyra put her hand over the book the way a mother may put her hands over the ears of her child to block out a secret. "This is my boyfriend, Skye. The most impatient boy in the world. To him, a day is a month." She rolled her eyes, but she smiled fondly at the book. She took her hands off the page and said to it, "Skye, honey, stop overreacting. Actually, Darkstar and I were planning on coming to see you today, but I've had something unexpected pop up." The voice on the other end sighed. "How about tomorrow?" Lyra coaxed.

"All right. I'm holding you to that!" Skye pouted.

She laughed. "Okay, dearling. Send my love to Katrina," she told her boyfriend.

"Okay. Love you," Skye replied.

"You, too." She glanced at the book and said clearly, "End transmission." She looked back at her guests, grinning.

Tidus and Wakka were openly gawking at the book. Lulu was a bit more subtle and only raised one eyebrow. Yuna just tilted her head curiously. "It's my mage's manual. I use it to get into touch with my friends and stuff like that," she explained, with a pointed glare in Lulu's direction. The Gothic-looking mage had the modesty to nod and blush a little.

Lyra sighed and stood up. She reached over to take the tea off and pointed her toe back behind her to a cabinet. Five rainbow mugs floated over to the stove and settled down next to her. She poured the tea and floated the mugs in front of her back to the circle of chairs. Each mug found its way into a waiting pair of hands, without spilling a drop of tea on the carpet. "I've got them very well trained." She smiled fondly at the mugs.

Yuna wrapped her hands around her own dark blue one and sipped at the steaming tea. Lyra sipped her golden mug and suddenly said, "_I breathed enough to learn the trick/ and now removed from air/I simulate the breath so well/ that one to be quite sure/ The lungs are stirless/ must descend/ among the cunning cells/ and touch the pantomime himself/ how cool the bellows feels!_" She smiled to herself, as if this were some personal joke the others were lost to. She caught their confused expressions and explained, "It's Emily Dickinson. I found a collection of her poems in a stack the other day and particularly liked that one, although I'm still pondering the meaning of it." She sat there with a contemplative look on her face. Then she looked at the others. "I'm sorry. I drifted for a moment. Now, about that potion. It should be ready by now."

She gestured at the milk on the stove and it poured itself into a rather large vial made of some pale blue stone Yuna couldn't name. It brought itself over to Lyra's expectant hand. She gave the bottle to Lulu along with a small piece of paper. "Have her drink that and say this spell while standing over her body. Then I would run, if I were you. Sea dragons have a habit of being exceptionally ill-tempered, and if it's been sharing a body with a nineteen-year-old for over a year, I do expect it to be more irritable than usual," she instructed. Lulu nodded and Wakka picked up Arianna's body again. Yuna stood up and gently placed that cat in her chair, trying to disturb him as little as possible.

"I was awake, anyway," he told her, sighing. She stared at him in surprise as he jumped into his owner's arms. She followed the others out into the busy streets of Bevelle. Lyra stood in the doorway, waving to their retreating forms with one hand and clutching Darkstar with the other.

"Take care! Come see me more often!" she called.

Yuna stopped to wave back and Darkstar leaped from Lyra's arms, landing neatly on the ground. He trotted calmly out to Yuna and planted himself by her ankle.

Lyra looked at for a moment, obviously surprised, but she smiled. "Send me news _every day_," she ordered her cat. He nodded and jumped into Yuna's arms. Lyra smiled at the young summoner and waved once more before returning to her shop. Yuna hurried to catch up with her friends and Darkstar jumped to the ground, winding his way between the legs of the crowd. She saw where the others were waiting and they ran to catch up. Yuna was anxious to talk to Tidus's sister on a more…manageable scale.


	5. Transference

Chapter Five: Transference

Arianna was sleeping peacefully in the water, Rikku snoring on the rock where they'd left her. Tidus couldn't resist walking up to her and shouting, "BOO!" in her ear. She woke up with a shout and threw out her arms, smacking Tidus square on the forehead. Arianna woke up to see her younger brother clutching his head and she laughed.

Yuna did, too. "You got what you deserved," she scolded. He rolled his eyes and she took his hand, trying to ignore that fact that his fingers were slowly becoming less solid and more ghost-like and transparent. Darkstar waltzed up to Arianna and stood defiantly in front of her. She leaned down and blew a bit of lightning at him. He screeched and ran back to Yuna's arms, his tail bushing out like a toilet brush. She soothed him and stroked his fur, trying to calm him down. Arianna laughed a little and smoke curled out of her nostrils.

Wakka laid her body down on the grass and she laid her head and neck out in front of it. Lulu gave her the potion and she drank it, making a face as the white liquid went down. Yuna said the spell over the body and suddenly Dragon Arianna went limp just as the body on the ground stirred.

Her eyes flew open and she scrambled to her feet. She grinned at everyone. "Damn, do I feel good!" she shouted to the sky, throwing out her arms and twirling around under the warm sun. The dragon opened its eyes at the shout and lifted its immense body to tower above the friends. "Shall we run for our lives?" Arianna asked Tidus.

"Oh, yes, let's," he replied, and everyone took off, running inside the gates of Bevelle. The dragon roared at them from the shore but didn't make its way up on land.

When they finally stopped outside a bakery, everyone was panting and laughing.

"You shoulda seen the look on your face!" Arianna pointed at her brother and giggled while still trying to catch her breath. He just rolled his eyes and rested his hands on his knees. By the time they'd all caught their wind again, Arianna was already inside the bakery, eyeing a sandwich that someone was eating. She dug in the pockets of her khaki shorts and came up with nothing. "Tidus, loan me some cash. I'm starving," she demanded.

"What do you say?" he teased, drawing a handful of gil out of his pocket.

"Give it to me now," she ordered, balling her hand into a fist menacingly.

"That works." He handed her the money.

Wakka laughed and slapped Tidus on the shoulder. "They always know how to get their way, ya?" Wakka boomed. Tidus just grinned and rolled his eyes. Arianna bought a thick sandwich and bit into it happily. She wandered outside, sandwich in hand, to sit at a table and watch the people walk by. The others followed her, after Yuna bought a tuna fish sandwich for Darkstar. They sat and ate while Arianna marvelled at the outfits and stores of the town.

"I haven't actually had time to just be a tourist since I got here. I didn't realize this place was so fascinating!" she exclaimed, grinning and taking another bite of her sandwich. Darkstar just looked around calmly, as if her excitement was, frankly, boring. Yuna sat and observed the two newest members of their party thoughtfully, not quite sure what to make of either of them. –_And I thought that after I defeated Sin, things would get actually calm down_,_–_she thought dryly.

Tidus caught her gaze and put his arm around her shoulders.

"I like your sister," she told him.

He grinned. "She's…interesting, I'll give her that." He looked at the older girl fondly. Yuna pulled her feet out of her boots and curled her legs up under her, snuggling down into Tidus's arms. For the first time, she began to think hard about their problem. It was like a complicated tangle of darkness inside her that she'd managed to cover up for a bit, but now she knew she had to try to straighten it out. –_We need someone who can do a mind wipe, whatever that is. And we need them to do it fast, before Tidus disappears. But where are we going to find a mage or a wizard or something powerful enough to do that?_–she wondered. Her gaze drifted over to Arianna, who was still pointing to things and people and asking Wakka, Lulu, and Rikku what they were. An idea began to form in her head. –_Isn't it odd that just as we come up against this problem, this girl pops up out of nowhere? I can't believe it would take her an entire year to find me, especially since just about everyone else seems to be able to. I wonder if she was sent here for a reason? I don't usually believe in fate and that sort of thing, but still…I know there's more to Tidus than he tells me. Is there more to her story, too?– _

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Rikku poked her shoulder. "C'mon, Yunie. The guys are heading for a blitzball game and we're going _shopping_!" she said excitedly.

Yuna smiled and stood up. Wakka started to walk toward the shore and Tidus stood to follow him. Instantly fear gripped Yuna's insides and squeezed like an iron gauntlet. She clutched his hand, trying to keep him there with her.

He turned, a confused look on his face. When he saw the fear in her mismatched eyes, his expression softened and he drew her to him. "I'll be okay," he assured her softly. She nodded and bit back tears. He pulled back and smiled at her. He kissed her gently and turned to walk away into the crowd. She watched as his dark head disappeared among the people, trying desperately to control the fear that threatened to overtake her.

Rikku took her elbow and pulled her away. "C'mon, Yunie. You need a break. And he'll be fine. Wakka won't let anything happen to him," she reassured her cousin. Yuna nodded and tried to put all her worried thoughts to the back of her mind. She followed Rikku, Arianna, and Lulu into a shop next to the bakery. Arianna gasped when she saw a gown on display and ran to it, dragging Rikku with her.

They found the dress on the racks and talked over each other happily, trying to find Arianna's size and a colour that "matched her eyes". Yuna laughed a little, Darkstar in her arms. Lulu stood next to her, one eyebrow raised at the other two girls, as if to say, "What on earth are those two doing?" Yuna hugged Darkstar to her. Instead of mewing and pushing away, like most cats, he allowed himself to be cuddled, and even licked her ear comfortingly.

Lulu looked at the younger girl. "So. Tidus has a sister," she said.

Yuna nodded and sighed. "I suddenly feel like I don't know him at all. What else isn't he telling me?" she wondered aloud.

Lulu didn't answer for a moment. "Maybe after he realized he wasn't going back, he wanted to put it behind him," she offered.

Yuna nodded. "Maybe," she replied quietly.

They watched as Arianna and Rikku ran around, their arms getting more and more loaded with outfits with each trip to the dressing rooms. Finally, they came back to the other pair, grinning like children in a candy store, their arms laden with full shopping bags.

"That was fun!" Arianna exclaimed. Rikku nodded emphatically. Yuna laughed and Lulu even chuckled a little and they headed back for the shore to find the boys. Wakka and Tidus were diving around on the sand, playing an above-water game of blitzball with some of the boys from the city. The girls sat down on the sand to watch, waiting for the game to end.

When it finally did, Wakka and Tidus trotted over to where they sat, grinning fiercely.

"Did you win?" Rikku asked. Tidus nodded and sat down next to Yuna. He stretched out on the sand and close his eyes, soaking in the afternoon sun.

Arianna poked him in the ribs hard and he sat up again. "No time to be lazy, bud. We've got things to do," she informed him. She grabbed his hand and examined it. A few of his fingers were already gone, and the rest were swiftly becoming transparent. "Well, then, we'll just have to fix this, won't we?" she asked no one in particular.

"How can you-" Tidus began, but she didn't let him finish.

She turned to Darkstar. "Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded. He shrugged, or at least as much as a cat can. She sighed irritably and turned back to her brother. She dragged him to his feet and headed back for the gates of Bevelle. When he didn't follow her, she turned around impatiently. "Baby brother, we have work to do. There's no time for standing around," she snapped. Tidus walked after her, Yuna's hand in his. The rest followed them, as confused as they were. Arianna seemed to be the only one who knew where she was going, which was extremely odd.

Darkstar sped in front of the others to catch up to her. "Arianna! You get back here!" he shouted grumpily.

She rolled her eyes, but stopped in her tracks. He caught up with her and glared at her, his green eyes glowing. "I need your mage friend to help me. I can't do it alone," she told him. He sighed and started winding his way back to Lyra's shop. Arianna and the others followed him into the small, dark shop. The tables in front had been replaced with benches, ivy and dark blue flowers winding among the boards. Darkstar slipped in through the cat flap in the door, but the rest actually had to open the door. Lyra was sitting in an armchair, drinking something out of a mug and reading the old book from before. Her cat jumped up into a chair and curled up, closing his eyes for sleep as if everything was completely normal. Arianna stood there in front of Lyra, hands on hips.

Lyra sighed and put down her mug. "Is it time already?" she asked the nineteen-year-old. Arianna nodded and Lyra flipped through her book. She started saying something in a language Yuna didn't understand.

"_Beith, dair, sean banríon, liath mac tíre, tine champa stoirm. Scoriosán smaointeacht, uairre fáq claoine cithfholcandán_." She began saying it again, Arianna chiming in this time. They walked outside together, reading from the book. They started to hover about seven feet off the ground, looking out across the town. They said it a third time, their voices ringing clear and loud even over the chatter of the people. Yuna could see the long ribbons of golden light that branched out from the book and wound their way around the people. She watched on particular one as it went by and touched each person's temple quickly, going through each person and doubling-checking itself. Lyra said another word and the light tendrils came flowing back to the book. Suddenly, the crowd stopped dead in its tracks, as if everyone had suddenly forgotten where they were headed. Lyra and Arianna grinned at each other triumphantly and even Darkstar, who had followed them outside leisurely, looked rather satisfied. Yuna stared at them, then at the crowd. They were looking at each other, confused, and starting to chatter again.

The girls floated back down the ground and turned to the others. Lyra snapped the book shut and tucked it under her arm. "Give me about two seconds to pack and we'll head for Kilika," she told them, and she ran back inside. Darkstar stayed outside, cleaning his paw with his rough pink tongue.

Arianna rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you! Why didn't you tell me _my brother is fading away_!" she shouted at the cat.

He looked up at her, his round green eyes innocent. "They told me not to tell you," he replied simply.

Arianna sighed. "Jeez, louise. No one ever tells me anything," she grumbled.

Tidus was just staring at them all, open-mouthed. "Will someone tell me what's going on!" he shouted, waving his arms around in frustration.

His older sister sighed. "I'm a wizard, Tidus. I never told you because, well…you're a blabbermouth. And if I told you, then my secret would get out. And _that_ wouldn't be good. The Powers That Be might have even taken away my powers," she explained, glancing heavenward.

He just stared at her, his blue eyes wide in shock.

"So, what did you just do?" Rikku asked.

"We just did a mind wipe. Darkstar told me telepathically about everything when we were running here, and that's why I needed Lyra to help me say the spell. I couldn't do it alone," she told the slender Al Bhed. She nodded, but Yuna could tell she didn't exactly understand.

Lyra came back out, lugging a beat-up leather messenger bag over one shoulder. "Let's go!" She grinned. Wakka and Lulu led the way back to the airship. Rikku, Arianna, and Lyra followed, Rikku pressing the other two girls about their wizardry. Yuna and Tidus lagged behind. Yuna clung to Tidus's hand, which was already becoming more solid. He smiled at her and she smiled back, feeling better than she had all day. For the first time, she felt like maybe it would be okay. They all clambered aboard the airship and settled in for the flight. Lyra was extremely interested in the workings of the giant machina, apparently surprised that something so complex and large could be run without a lick of magic.

"She really doesn't get out much, does she?" Arianna muttered under her breath to Darkstar. He shook his head and she nodded. Yuna walked up onto the deck at the top of the ship. She sat down on the warm white metal and hugged her knees to her, staring out to the horizon. The wind flew through her short, light brown hair, whipping it behind her and tangling it into knots that later would prove to be nasty to get out. She didn't particularly care, though. She heard footsteps and a moment later Tidus sat down beside her wordlessly.

They sat in silence for a moment, until Yuna asked, "You're going to be okay, right?"

He nodded. "One more tally for Ari, but…hey. I'm sticking around, and that's all I need," he said, sighing contentedly. He stretched out and folded his arms behind his head. She lay down next to him, snuggling against his warm body. He put on arm around her and she closed her eyes. –_The girls are going to fix everything, and life will be _perfect…–


	6. The Wedding

Chapter Six: The Wedding

Yuna was ecstatic. It was the day she'd waited for her entire life, and it was about start. There were no giant flying fish trying to crash her wedding, not a fiend in sight, and everyone, even Lulu, was happy. She smiled and twirled in front of the mirror, admiring her dress. Arianna and Lyra had constructed it out of sea mist and stardust. The veil had been made from "a bit of northern wind and a splash of fire-heart for colour". It had turned out beautifully. The dress was floor-length and strapless. The fabric was fluid between Yuna's fingers, like water just barely solidified into satin. The hem was dotted with tiny sapphires and amethysts, which, according to Lyra, symbolized peace and joy. The veil was simple, just a circlet of lavender rose buds placed gently on her head and a long piece of white fabric, but it was gorgeous in itself.

"Jeez, Yunie. You're _so_ lucky," Rikku sighed. Yuna smiled at her cousin. Rikku had changed out of her usual shorts and tank top into a long sky blue satin dress that accented her blond hair.

Arianna and Lyra swooped in, arm in arm. The two wizards had been inseparable since Tidus had proposed two weeks ago, just a week after they'd mind-wiped both Kilika and Besaid, which was much easier, according to Arianna and Lyra, than Bevelle. Size, apparently.

Anyway, the two girls waltzed in and gasped. "Yunie, you look _fantastic_!" Arianna exclaimed.

Lyra nodded fervently, her red ringlets tied back in a ponytail that bounced everywhere. "Tidus is going to keel over when he sees you!" she laughed.

"What have you two been up to?" Rikku asked suspiciously. Yuna had wondered about that, too. The wedding was supposed to be held on the shore, and the pair had been down there since the day before working.

"We've been…decorating," Arianna said mysteriously. She glanced at her counterpart and they burst into giggles. Rikku rolled her spiraled eyes and sat back down. The wizards examined themselves in the mirror and said a few words in that language they'd used for the mind wipes. Instantly, the two were decked out in dresses that matched Rikku's. Lyra's was a pretty yellow, and she pulled her hair out of its band to let it fall to her shoulders. Arianna's was a lavender that complemented her auburn hair and brought out the red tints in it. They looked each other over carefully, like best friends usually do, and nodded. They walked back out, chattering happily. Yuna laughed at the pair's retreating backs.

Rikku slung one arm over Yuna's shoulders. "With us on the team, _nothing_ can go wrong," she assured her with a broad grin.

Yuna nodded and Lulu sailed in, looking positively _thrilled_, for what was possibly the first time in her life. "It's time, Yuna. Your wedding's about to start!" she exclaimed, taking the younger girl by the wrist. Rikku followed as they walked out to the shore, stopping just out of sight. Lulu tucked a piece of hair behind Yuna's ear. "You'll do fine," she whispered. Then she grabbed Rikku's elbow and dragged her down the aisle, leaving Yuna on her own. She took a deep breath as the wedding march began to play and was about to walk out when an annoyingly familiar voice said from behind her,

"Hello, Yuna." She spun around, fear gripping her. Seymour stood there, looking as irritating and ugly as ever.

Yuna glared at him. The fear was quickly replaced by pure _anger_. "Oh, you little-" she began, but fury kept her from going on. She just mouthed wordlessly at him, unable to find the words to express his awfulness.

He smiled at her. "Cat got your tongue?" he asked. She screamed in wild fury at him, for the first time in her life feeling absolutely hateful.

Rikku rounded the corner, sand flying. "What's-oh, it's you." She glared at Seymour.

"What, no welcoming wagon?" he asked.

Arianna and Lyra came flying around the corner, eyes wide. They stared at Seymour. "Who's that?" Arianna asked.

"Looks familiar…" Lyra squinted at him, as if trying to place him.

"Can we kill him?" Arianna interrupted her friend's efforts.

Yuna nodded. "Go ahead." She gestured at him.

"I wanna watch," Rikku growled. Arianna and Lyra stood side-by-side and started chanting, in English this time.

"Ashes to ashes, spirit to spirit, take this soul, banish this evil," they said the spell over and over, and each time Seymour got a little smokier. Finally, with one last scream, he exploded, leaving only a bit of blue fabric on the sand and splashes of blue blood on the rock walls. Rikku cheered loudly. Even Yuna was infinitely satisfied.

The wizards turned to her, smiling triumphantly. "Let's get this show on the road, girls," Arianna said. The three bridesmaids walked back out and the wedding march struck up again. Yuna walked out, the sand warm under her bare feet. Tidus stood there, his sapphire eyes glowing fiercely in the noon sun. Wakka was squirming around and looked extremely unhappy that Lulu had forced him into a tux. Yuna grinned at Tidus and blushed as the villagers that were standing around began to whisper. She stepped up onto the platform and the ceremony began.

She barely remembered a lick of it, when questioned later, and the next thing she knew the priest was saying, "You may kiss the bride." Arianna and Lyra's handiwork decided to reveal itself in the form of flowers that suddenly burst into bloom everywhere, giving off the thick perfume of a garden in summer. Tidus leaned down and kissed her just as tiny sparkling cherry blossoms began to float down from the sky. And in that moment, she knew what paradise felt like. It was that moment, there with her beloved Tidus she'd fought so hard to save, just as he'd fought to save her on her pilgrimage, surrounded by friends and flowers and stardust, and knowing that, at least in her corner of the world, everything was completely…perfect. And no matter what happened, no matter how many tears would be shed over the years, she wouldn't be alone. She wouldn't have to become that withdrawn girl who never showed her emotions she'd been the year before. _This_ summoner, at least, would cry no more tears of stone.


End file.
